,

Basic Punctuation Rules

Punctuation can make an enormous difference in the meaning of whatever it is you’re writing.
Consider the following classic examples of the change in meaning that punctuation can communicate:

eats shoots and leaves Let’s eat, Grandma! Woman, without her man, is nothing.
eats, shoots, and leaves Let’s eat Grandma! Woman! Without her, man is nothing.

Let’s face it: proper punctuation can make or break the impact of an otherwise well-constructed
sentence. These basic rules can strengthen your sentences with the punctuation they deserve, so that
the quality of your ideas is communicated with precision and clarity.

commas
Commas indicate a separation of ideas or elements within the structure of a sentence. For more information on
comma usage, see the Writing Center's "Commas" handout.

Commas are used to separate three or more The entree includes chips, salsa, and a beverage.
words, phrases, or clauses (sentence parts) in
a series.

Commas are used after an introductory Since we would be returning late anyway, we stayed
dependent clause (a group of words before to watch the sunset.
the subject of a sentence that do not form a
complete sentence).

Commas indicate that introductory words and In the light of day, everything looked different.
phrases moved from the end of the sentence.

Commas are used between independent claus- My family went to see the live taping of Ru Paul's Drag
es (complete sentences) joined by a coordinat- Race, but I stayed home with the flu.
ing conjunction: for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so.

Commas set off nonessential phrases or clauses My cousin, who recently joined the mafia, said it
(phrases that can be removed without changing would be best if I skipped town for awhile.
the sentence’s overall meaning) or appositives
(words or phrases that rename a noun).

Commas separate paired adjectives that de- They serve cheap delicious meat.
scribe a noun. You need a comma between ad- They serve cheap, delicious meat.
jectives that could go in any order—they’re not
cumulative and could be separated by the word They always have cheap, taco meat.
“and.” Do not use a comma between adjectives They always have cheap taco meat.
that need to be in a particular order.

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, ”( )
quotation marks
Quotation marks show the beginning and end of a quotation or title of a short work. When citing, the quotation and
punctuation rules change; see “Paraphrasing and Quoting” and specific citation handouts for more help.

Quotation marks enclose the exact words of a person. Sia said, “I’m gonna swing from the chandelier.”

Do not use quotation marks around a paraphrase Sia said she intended to pendulate from a chandelier.
or summary.

Quotation marks set off the titles of smaller works “Short Story” Book of Stories “Chapter” Book
within larger works. This can vary between different “Poem” Book of Poetry “Episode” Series
citation styles, so double check your style guide “Article” Magazine/Journal “Song” Album
for accuracy.

Place periods and commas inside quotation marks. Pope Francis said, “I’ll have extra mayonaise on that.”

Place semicolons and colons outside quotation marks. I reccommend “the works”: it comes with chicharrón!

Place question marks or exclamation points inside the Captain Lightfoot said, “Don’t you think it’s time we
quotation marks if they punctuate the quotation only. started letting women be pirates, too?”
However, if the quote does not include a question or
exclamation, but the sentence itself is asking a question What did Aesop Rock mean by, “There’s smoke in my
or exclaiming, the question mark or exclamation point iris, but I painted a sunny day on the insides of
sits outside of the quotation marks. my eyelids”?

parentheses
Parentheses set off elements within a sentence that are related to the sentence but nonessential.

Parentheses set off additions or expressions that are not We visited several European countries (England,
necessary to the sentence. They tend to de-emphasize France, Spain) on our trip last year.
what they set off. They are often seen as less academic
in tone.

Parentheses can enclose figures in a sentence. Grades will be based on (1) participation, (2) in-class
Note: Use of numbers like this in sentences may writing, and (3) exams.
vary for different citation styles. Double check cita-
tion guidelines.

When the group inside the parentheses forms a The snow (do you remember what snow feels like?)
complete sentence but is inserted inside a larger was falling heavily.
sentence, no period is needed. However, if a ques-
tion mark or exclamation point is needed, it should
be included.

When parentheses are used to enclose an indepen- I’m not looking forward to presenting to the class on
dent sentence, the end punctuation belongs inside Monday. (My childhood stage fright has never really
the parentheses. left me.) I hope I can get it over with quickly.
 ’
apostrophes
Apostrophes show possession and also indicate where a letter has been omitted to form a contraction.

To show possession, add an apostrophe and an s to Jenny’s book anyone’s guess

singular nouns or indefinite pronouns that end in one somebody’s laptop the waltz’s tempo
or body.

Add only an apostrophe for plural possessive nouns my parents’ car

ending in s. Remember that the apostrophe placement the musicians’ instruments
depends on whether there is more than one noun: stu-
dent’s books (one student), students’ books (more than
one student).

Do not use an apostrophe with possessive personal yours, his, hers, ours, theirs, whose, its
pronouns.

Apostrophes are also used in contractions (two words I am = I’m cannot = can’t they are = they’re
which have been combined into one) to mark where the I have = I’ve let us = let’s you are = you’re
missing letter or letters would be.

hyphens
Hyphens are used to form compound words or join word units. They are also used to join prefixes, suffixes,
and letters to words.

Use hyphens with compound numbers from twenty-one forty-two students

to ninety-nine and with fractions used as modifiers (ad- three thousand five hundred and sixty-seven students
jectives). two-thirds majority (vs. “two thirds of the voters”)

Use hyphens in a compound adjective only when it a well-liked author

comes before the word it modifies. There are excep- an author who is well liked
tions; look up compound adjectives in the dictionary if a world-renowned composer
you are unsure whether or not to hyphenate them. a composer who is world renowned

Use a hyphen with the prefixes ex-, self-, and all-; with the all-star ex-mayor pro-choice
suffix elect-; and with all prefixes before a proper noun self-image non-European senator-elect
or proper adjective.

Use a hyphen with compound phrases. Note: When the nine-year-old boy he is nine years old
describing ages, phrases that function as adjectives sister-in-law all-or-nothing
will use hyphens, while numbers as adjectives will not up-to-date soon-to-be
use hyphens.

Also, note how hyphens can change meaning, and use a hot-water bottle (a bottle for holding hot water)
them accordingly. a hot water bottle (a bottle of water that is hot)
to re-press a shirt (to iron again)
to repress bad memories (to keep at bay)
colons
Colons come after the independent
clause (complete sentence) and
before the word, phrase, sentence,
quotation, or list they are introducing.

Never use a colon after a verb that

directly introduces a list.
..
Colons follow independent clauses and call attention to the information that comes after.

Lately, I have had only one thing on my mind: graduation.

Lately, I have had one thing on my mind: graduating from college.
Lately, I have had only one thing on my mind: I can’t wait to graduate.
Lately, I have had several things on my mind: papers, grades, and finals.

The things on my mind are: papers, grades, and finals.

The things on my mind are the following: papers, grades, and finals.
The things on my mind are papers, grades, and finals.

—.
dashes
Dashes—often confused with hyphens—connect groups of words to other keyboard shortcuts
groups of words to emphasize a point. Usually, the dash separates words in Mac: shift+option+hyphen
the middle or at the end of a sentence. PC: alt+0151

,
In the middle of a sentence, a dash Our ideas for the weekend, going to a movie, having a picnic, doing
can put special emphasis on a group homework, and hiking Garcia Trail, seemed like a lot to squeeze in.
of words or make them stand out
from the rest of the sentence. Our ideas for the weekend—going to a movie, having a picnic, doing
homework, and hiking Garcia Trail—seemed like a lot to squeeze in.
At the end of a sentence, a dash sep-
arates information from the rest of I knew the material perfectly—until test day.
the sentence. We went to Slauson Park—the one north of Fifth Street.

semicolons
Semicolons separate clauses or phrases that are related and that receive equal emphasis. You can go your whole life
without using them, or you can impress your readers by using them correctly!

Semicolons join two independent Megan said she was tired; she had stayed up late cutting giraffe-shaped
clauses (complete sentences) that holes out of foreign newspapers.
are closely related if no coordinating
conjunction is used. .

Semicolons signal to a reader that the We were planning to go get coffee; however, he had to cancel.
information in both sentences should
be taken together.

Semicolons help avoid confusion be- She traveled to Sao Paulo, Brazil; Seoul, South Korea; and Nairobi, Kenya.
tween items in lists where there are
already commas.
 List of Prepositions
English language: A list of common prepositions.

Prepositions of Time

English Explanation / Meaning Examples

on  days (of the week) & dates  on Sunday; on May 1st; on Christmas
Eve; on my mark; on the weekend
(AmE.)

in  months / seasons / year  in summer / in July / in 2017

 part of the day  in the evening
 after a period of time  in an hour; in the future

at  a specific point of time  at 11:15 p.m.; at half past six

 exceptions (when?)  at noon; at night; learned English at 42;
at the weekend (BrE.); at first glance

since  from a specific point in time until now  since 1980; since yesterday
(past till now)

for  over a certain period of time  for the first time in forever; for 3 years

ago  from now to a specific point in the  a second ago; a decade ago; a while
past (now till past) ago

during  throughout the course or duration of  during summer; during the vacation;
[Link]. during the discussion

before  previous to in time; earlier than  before winter; before dawn; I have to
talk to the client before I call my
manager

after  Subsequent in time; at a later time  after midnight; after tomorrow

than

until (till)  up to a certain point in time  until Monday; I’ll wait to call my
manager until I hear from the client

to / past  telling the time  ten to two (1:50) / ten past two (2:10)

from / to  a starting point / an end point  from the beginning; from now to eternity

by  not later than  by 12 o'clock; by next week

 

 

List of Prepositions | Available as PDF for Download from [Link] Page 1 of 3

Prepositions of Place

English Explanation / Meaning Examples

in  position or state inside sth.  in London; in the book, in the mirror; in

love

at  in the area of ...; specific position  at home; at the table; at my side

 an event (or a place related to it)  at the party; at the cinema; at school

on  position above  on the desk

 in contact with  on the wall
 for a certain side (left, right)  on the left side
 the state or process of  on leave; on fire; on the way
on the phone; on TV; on the radio
 means of conveyance  on trains; on the bus; on a plane

off  from a place or position  off the table; off the wall; went off to
Canada; got off the bus; turned off the
TV

by, beside  at the side of; close to, next to  by the door; beside the car; stand by me

under  in a lower position; beneath the  under the table; under water
surface

over  in or at a position above  put sth. over a shirt; walk over sth.; over
my dead body
 more than
 over 100 years; over ten miles

below  in or to a lower place; beneath  below the surface; below 20°; below the
clouds

above  higher than sth. else; overhead  above the door; the clouds above; the
problems cited above

up  from a lower towards a higher point  up the hill; up there is a …

down  a descending direction  rolled down the hill; walking down the
street

 

 

 

 

ist of Prepositions | Available as PDF for Download from [Link] Page 2 of 3

Prepositions of Directions / Movements

English Explanation / Meaning Examples

across  On, at, to or from the other side  across the street; lines across the paper

through  from one end or side to another  through the tunnel; a tour through
France

to  In a direction toward a person / thing  go to bed; move on to; face to face

 toward a (given) state  back to health; all the way to; to die for

into  movement to the inside / interior of  went into the kitchen; crashed into a tree
 to the condition, state, or form of  breaking into pieces; go into banking

out of  from the inside to the outside  drag myself out of bed; out of nowhere
 no longer in the condition, state, or  out of town; out of order; out of fashion
form of

onto  movement to the top  jumped onto the table

towards  movement in the direction of; or closer  towards the house; toward the future;
to toward peace

from  a starting point; movement away from  walked home from the station; traveled
from NY to LA
 a source, a cause; a distinction  a note from the teacher; know right from
wrong

Other Prepositions

English Explanation / Meaning Examples

of  originating from, composed of,  men of the north; a cup of coffee; the
associated with, belonging to hand of God; that friend of yours

by  in the name of; through the agency or  a book by Mark Twain; by myself;
action of played by the rules; killed by a bullet;
one by one they left; by car, by bus

about  estimation of quantity  about ten people; about two miles

 on the subject of  a book about English
 ready to do sth.  the chorus is about to sing

for  indicates the object, aim or purpose  happy for you; eager for fame; for one
thing, …; for heaven’s sake

with  in the presence or use of  with a friend; with cheese; with

confidence; with a lot of …; will be with
you shortly; from Russia with love

List of Prepositions | Available for download from [Link] Page 3 of 3

 Philippine Content Development
2011

Notes on Punctuation

Punctuation marks are the “traffic signals” of a language. When correctly used, they guide the reader through 
the text and makes comprehension easier. However, when incorrectly placed, they can also change the 
meaning of a sentence. Consider the following example:

Original text: A woman without her man is nothing.

Punctuated text 1: A woman, without her man, is nothing.
Punctuated text 2: A woman: without her, man is nothing.

Below is a discussion on the uses of different punctuation marks such as the comma, apostrophe, semicolon, 
colon, hyphen, quotation, and ellipses.

Use of the period

There are only two uses of the period (also known as “full stop” in British English):3

• To mark the end of a sentence expressing a statement (if you are unsure whether the words constitute 
a sentence, look for a verb which is an essential component of a sentence) 
• To signify an acronym ­ [N.A.T.O. for North Atlantic Treaty Organization (although increasingly it is ac­
ceptable and even preferable not to use full stops in such cases)]

Note: A common mistake is to use a comma where a full stop should be used,

The following are the uses of some common punctuation marks as discussed by Prof. Rosella Torrecampo 
during the “Basic Onine Writing Training” for SUC Writers:1

Uses of a Comma:

1) In a list
Oxford comma ~ the comma before “and” or “or” in a series of items.  
Example: Ham, eggs, and chips

2) Before dialogue
Example: Mark said, “Good morning!”

3) Mark out additional information
Example: The girl, who is wearing a pink shirt, is my sister.

4) Before a conjunction (e.g. and but or for while yet) introducing an independent clause

Example: The boys wanted to stay up until midnight, but they grew tired and fell asleep.
 
5) Enclose parenthetic expressions (additional information) between commas
Example: The best way to see a country, unless you’re pressed for time, is to travel on foot. 

Note: When in doubt over where to use a comma, try reading the sentence out loud and, generally speaking, 
commas should be used where you pause for clarification or breath.

Uses of the Apostrophe

1. Indicates a possessive in a singular noun
Example: The café’s menu

But when the possessor is a regular plural, the apostrophe follows the “s.”
Example: The cafés’ menus 
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2011

Note: With modern names ending in “s” (including biblical names and any foreign name with an unpronounced 
final “s”), the “s” is required after the apostrophe. 

Keats’s poems
St. James’s Square
Charles’s coffee mug

With names from the ancient world, it is not. 
Achilles’ heel
Archimedes’ screw

If the name ends in an “iz” sound, an exception is made:
Bridges’ score
Moses’ tablets
Jesus’ disciples

2. Indicates time or quantity.
Two Week’s Notice
The Café will open in two month’s time. 

3. Indicates the omission of figures in dates
Example: Batch ’08 is so excited to graduate.

4. Indicates the omission of letters
Examples: The training starts at 8 o’ clock every day.
The gov’t is set to battle the insurgents in Basilan. 

It’s (it is) your turn.
It’s been several years (It has been several years).

5. Featured in Irish names such as O’ Neal and O’ Casey.
 ‘O = Of (?)
 ‘O = anglicisation of “ua” meaning grandson

6. Indicates the plural of words
The do’s and don’ts of speaking
She didn’t welcome his but’s and and’s. 

Note: The apostrophe doesn’t have to appear in the plurals of abbreviations (e.g. DVD’s) or plural dates (e.g. 
1980’s)

Remember: Possessive pronouns do not require an apostrophe
Possessive Pronouns:
Mine Ours
Yours Yours
His Theirs
Hers Theirs
Its Theirs

Uses of Semi­colon

1) Separate two related sentences where there is no conjunction (such as “and” or “but”), and where using 
only a comma would be ungrammatical. 
Example: She is a good writer; she has published several books. 

2) Organizes syntax thought where many commas are used
Example: We bought dairy products like milk, butter, and cheese; vegetables such as carrots, potatoes, 
and spinach; and some fruits like bananas and mangoes.
 Philippine Content Development
2011

3) Linking words such as “however,” “nevertheless,” “also,” “consequently,” and “hence” require a semi­colon.
Example: He spent a lot for the campaign; however, the majority of the public saw through his pretense 
and did not vote for him. 

Uses of Colon:

1) Separates statements “placed baldly in dramatic opposition”
a. Lawrence could not speak: he was drunk.
b. Man proposes: God disposes. 
It is also used when the second statement reaffirms, explains or illustrates the first

2) Starts lists
a. Please purchase the ff: furniture, glassware, ingredients, and linen. 

3) Sets off book and film sub­titles from the main titles
a. Gandhi II : The Mahatma Strikes Back 

4) Separates dramatic characters forming a dialogue:
Philip: How do you get to Cebu?
o Anne: You can go there by plane, by ship, or by bus. 

Uses of the Hyphen3

1) Use a hyphen to join two or more words serving as a single adjective before a noun:
Examples: a one­way street
chocolate­covered peanuts
well­known author

However, when compound modifiers come after a noun, they are not hyphenated:
Examples: The peanuts were chocolate covered.
The author was well known.

2) Use a hyphen with compound numbers:
Examples: forty­six
sixty­three
Our much­loved teacher was sixty­three years old.

3) Use a hyphen to avoid confusion or an awkward combination of letters:
Examples: re­sign a petition (vs. resign from a job)
semi­independent (but semiconscious)
shell­like (but childlike)

4) Use a hyphen with the prefixes ex­ (meaning former), self­, all­; with the suffix ­elect; between a prefix and 
a capitalized word; and with figures or letters:
Examples: ex­husband anti­American
self­assured T­shirt
mid­September  pre­Civil War
all­inclusive  mid­1980s
mayor­elect

5) Use a hyphen to divide words at the end of a line if necessary, and make the break only between syllables:
Examples: pref­er­ence
sell­ing
in­di­vid­u­al­ist
 Philippine Content Development
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6) For line breaks, divide already hyphenated words only at the hyphen:
Examples: mass­ self­
produced conscious

7) For line breaks in words ending in ­ing, if a single final consonant in the root word is doubled before the suf­
fix, hyphenate between the consonants; otherwise, hyphenate at the suffix itself:
Examples: plan­ning
run­ning
driv­ing
call­ing

8) Never put the first or last letter of a word at the end or beginning of a line, and don't put two­letter suffixes 
at the beginning of a new line:
Examples: lovely (Do not separate to leave ly beginning a new line.)
eval­u­ate (Separate only on either side of the u; do not leave the initial e­ at the end of a line.)

Uses of the Dash

When you type two hyphens together (--), most word processors automatically combine them
into a single dash.  The dash (or em­dash) should be used for a specific reason, and not be overused in 
academic writing.

1) Use a dash to take the place of the more formal colon, particularly when you want to emphasize a point:
Example: Students were asked to bring their own supplies—paper, pencils, and calculator.
2) Use a pair of dashes in place of parentheses when you want to place more emphasis on the content:
Example: The participants—two from group A and two from group B—tested negatively.
3) Use a dash at the beginning and end of a series separated by commas: 
Example: The students—Jim, Marla, and Sara—were told they could leave. 
4) Use a dash to mean namely, in other words, or that is before an explanation:
Example: The man—the one with his hand in the air—looks desperate.
5) Use a dash to indicate an abrupt break in thought:
Example: The professor was unwilling to change the due date—even for a candy bar!
6) If the sentence resumes after the break, use a second dash:
Examples: The professor was unwilling—even for a candy bar!—to change the due date.
After the professor made her statement—“I’ll extend the due date, but just this one time.” —we 
applauded. 
7) Use a dash to interrupt the main idea in a sentence to insert another, related, idea:
Example: The student—the one dressed in black, sitting in the corner—let out a cry.

The en dash is used between equal weighted words in a compound adjective. It is made by typing the first ad­
jective, followed by a space, a hyphen, another space, and the second adjective:

Examples: The Yankee – Red Sox rivalry

The New York – Beijing flight

Most often the en dash is used to express a range:

    Examples:    pages 10 – 23 
100 – 300 participants 
January – May 2009.
 Philippine Content Development
2011

It can also stand for the words and, to, or versus between two words of equal weight:

  Example: The Israeli – Palestinian Peace Conference.

Uses of Quotations

“The primary function of quotation marks is to set off and represent exact language (either spoken or written) 
that has come from somebody else. The quotation mark is also used to designate speech acts in fiction and 
sometimes poetry. Since you will most often use them when working with outside sources, successful use of 
quotation marks is a practical defense against accidental plagiarism and an excellent practice in academic 
honesty.”2 

A direct quotation is the inclusion of another person's exact words into your own writing. The following are 
some general rules on the use of quotations as given in the Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL) website:

1. Quotation marks always come in pairs. Do not open a quotation and fail to close it at the end of the quoted 
material.

Example: Martha replied, “I will try to be there before noon.”

2. Capitalize the first letter of a direct quote when the quoted material is a complete sentence.
Example: Mr. Johnson, who was working in his field that morning, said, "The alien spaceship appeared 
right before my own two eyes."

3. Do not use a capital letter when the quoted material is a fragment or only a piece of the original material's 
   complete sentence.
Example: Although Mr. Johnson has seen odd happenings on the farm, he stated that the spaceship 
"certainly takes the cake" when it comes to unexplainable activity.

4. If a direct quotation is interrupted mid­sentence, do not capitalize the second part of the quotation.
Example: "I didn't see an actual alien being," Mr. Johnson said, "but I sure wish I had."

5. In all the examples above, note how the period or comma punctuation always comes before the final  quota­
tion mark. It is important to realize also that when you are using MLA or some other form of  documenta­
tion, this punctuation rule may change.

When quoting text with a spelling or grammar error, you should transcribe the error exactly in your own text. 
However, also insert the term sic in italics directly after the mistake, and enclose it in brackets. Sic is from the 
Latin, and translates to "thus," "so," or "just as that." The word tells the reader that your quote is an exact re­
production of what you found, and the error is not your own.

Example: Mr. Johnson says of the experience, "it's made me reconsider the existence of extraterestials [sic]."

6. Quotations are most effective if you use them sparingly and keep them relatively short. Too many quotations 
in a research paper will get you accused of not producing original thought or material.

Sources:

1 
Prof. Rosella Torrecampo
 Resource Person, “Basic Online Writing Training”
 iSchools Project
 Visayas State University, Babay, Leyte

2 
Sean M. Conrey, Karl Stolley “Hyphen Use”
 Purdue OWL: Hyphens, Purdue Online Writing 
Lab
 Online article, last modified 17 April 2010
 Accessed on 25 March 2011
[Link]
Philippine Content Development
2011

3 
Darlington, Roger “How to Use Punctuation”
 Online article, last modified 15 February 2007
 Accessed on 20 March 2011 
[Link]

4
 Columbia University “The Dash”
Writing Center Handouts
Online article
Accessed on 25 March 2011
    [Link]
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